Old Friends in a New World
by thequeenofpearls
Summary: Post Mockingjay. Gale returns to District 12 to visit his old home. Expecting to see Katniss at some point, he's surprised to find that Katniss is out of town. What happens when Peeta invites him over for dinner and Katniss comes home early to surprise her family? Disclaimer: All rights belong to Suzanne Collins.
1. Part One

_**Hello lovelies! So this is based maybe a few years after the epilogue in Mockingjay. WARNING: DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T READ MOCKINGJAY! SPOILERS LIE AHEAD! This is a three part story based off a little idea I had. I hope you guys like it! Happy November!**_

_**Tallyho!**_

**Part One:**

The last time Gale saw District 12, it was in complete ruin and still smoldering from the attacks from the Capitol. Looking at it now, he never would've guessed it was the same place. Everything had been rebuilt; there was a brand new market, the houses no longer looked run down and dilapidated, and the electric fence that guarded the woods was gone.

He took a deep breath to soak it all in. He hadn't realized how much he missed it here. Slowly, as he walked through town, he could feel himself come back to life. He promised himself later that he would go into the woods for old time's sake but right now he wanted to get a better look at his repaired former home. Walking through the market, he saw many familiar faces but not the particular one he was hoping to see.

Just as he was about to give up hope, he saw something that made him do a double take. The girl he saw in the market looked exactly like the woman he was looking for, only younger and shorter. Gale thought he was looking at his old friend from years ago when they first met. The only difference this time was that the girl had bright blue eyes instead of the gray he was familiar with.

Seeing those blue eyes were the only reason he wasn't surprised when he saw her walk up to someone he never thought he'd see again. The blond smiled at his daughter as he picked up a small boy who was a spitting image of his father only the boy had those familiar gray eyes. Gale thought he was looking at clones of those he used to know. Remembering a conversation they had before her first Hunger Games and her swearing that she would never have children, he smiled to himself as he thought about how far they had all come but her especially.

Gale's smile faded slightly when he made eye contact with the blond and saw the recognition in his eyes. He knew it was stupid but he tensed up slightly as the man walked towards him with his two children in tow.

"Gale." he said, putting his son down as he reached for a handshake.

"Peeta." Gale responded as he shook his hand.

"It's good to see you." Peeta said with genuine kindness.

Gale couldn't help but want to return the same kindness. _No wonder everyone likes him._ he thought. _It's hard not to when he's giving you those big puppy dog eyes._ "It's good to see you too." Gale responded kindly but still with a stern tone of voice. His tone changed when he saw a young boy hiding behind Peeta's legs peek out. Gale smiled as he crouched down to be eye level with the boy. "Is this your son?" he asked.

Peeta smiled as he put his hand on his son's head. "Yes, this is Jace."

"It's nice to meet you, Jace." Gale said, still smiling.

The young boy was still hiding behind his father's legs but looking at Gale more curiously now. "What do you say?" Peeta said to his son quietly. "Hi." little Jace said before hiding behind Peeta's legs completely again. Gale chuckled as he stood up.

"And this is Sierra." Peeta said drawing Gale's attention to the young girl. "Honey, this is an old family friend, Gale Hawthorne."

She was much more forward than her younger brother. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Hawthorne." she said sticking her hand out.

"Nice to meet you too," he said shaking her hand, "but, please, call me Gale."

She gave him a small smile that reminded him so much of her mother, it was if he was looking into a mirror of the past. "Sierra, why don't you take your brother back to the bakery?" Peeta said pulling Gale out of his reverie. "I'll meet you there shortly."

"Okay, daddy." she said. He gave his children a quick kiss before sending them on their way. When he turned back to Gale there was an uncomfortable silence between the two men before Peeta spoke again. "So what are you doing back in District 12?"

Gale took a deep breath before answering. "I missed my old home. And I haven't been back since - " he swallowed before continuing, "since I came back with 13 to work on some propaganda. I thought I'd make a quick visit and see how everything is these days."

Peeta nodded understandingly. "It's come quite a long way;" he said as he looked around and smiled, "we all have."

Gale smiled and nodded. "Yes we have." he said quietly.

Peeta and Gale continued the small talk as they walked towards Peeta's bakery. Right before Peeta walked inside Gale asked the question that had been burning inside him since he arrived in District 12.

"Peeta?"

"Hm?"

Gale hesitated. "W-Where's Katniss?"

Peeta gave him a sympathetic look. "She's in District 4 visiting her mom. She won't be back until Sunday."

"Oh… I see." Gale responded quietly.

"How long are you in town?"

"Just a couple of days. I'm leaving on Friday."

Peeta nodded. "I'm sorry she won't be here during your trip."

Gale shook his head. "It's fine. I was just curious."

Peeta pursed his lips as he said goodbye to Gale to go into the bakery. Suddenly, he had an idea. "Hey Gale!" he called.

Gale turned his head to Peeta. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

"Nothing, why?" Gale asked wearily.

"Why don't you come over for dinner?" Peeta offered.

Gale was surprised. "Really? Me, over for dinner?"

"Yeah." Peeta said. "We didn't end on a good note when we last saw each other. I'd like to fix that. Plus you can't come back to District 12 and not get anything from the bakery."

Gale chuckled and sighed. "Alright, why not."

"Great." Peeta said. "See you at 7?"

"See you at 7."

As Peeta went into his bakery, Gale walked off into the woods. He found an old field where he and Katniss used to sit when they went hunting and layed down to look at the sky. He took a deep breath to soak in the smell of the woods, the grass, and the light breeze. He smiled as he closed his eyes and relaxed and tried not to think of his impending dinner with the Mellarks tomorrow night.


	2. Part Two

_**A/N: Hello lovelies! So here is Part Two! I'm finishing up Part Three right now. I'm not sure I'll have a chance to post it tomorrow, so if I finish it tonight, you guys will get the final part! Yay! In the meantime, I hope you guys enjoy Part Two! **_

_**Tallyho!**_

**Part Two:**

Gale felt ridiculous. He was standing on the Mellark's porch holding a small basket of fruit that he had picked from the woods to give the family while dressed in his cleanest clothes and his hair freshly washed. He felt like he was picking up a girl for a date, not going to dinner at his old best friend's house with her husband and two children and said old best friend wouldn't even be there. He wasn't one to run away but this was one of those times that he wanted to.

Before he could take a step off the porch, the door opened to reveal Peeta holding his son and the smell of freshly baked bread flowed out. Peeta smiled as he greeted Gale and invited him inside. The house was cozy. There was a fire roaring in the fireplace and the house was filled with the smell of fresh bread and soup. Peeta's daughter, Sierra, was in the living room reading a book while the TV was playing some show involving cars. The girl smiled at Gale but quickly went back to her book as Peeta placed his son on the couch next to his sister so he could watch the television. Gale gave Peeta the fruit basket which he thanked him heartily. As Peeta walked back into the kitchen, he told Gale to make himself at home and that dinner would be ready shortly.

Gale sat down on a chair in the living room and looked around. Little Jace was captivated with the TV while Sierra seemed to be struggling to focus on her book and kept sneaking quick peeks at Gale before looking back down to her book. Gale sensed she was as curious about him as he was about her. Taking a chance, he decided to start a conversation with her.

"What are you reading?" he asked her.

She looked up and smiled as if she was happy to talk to someone about her book. "It's called _Alice's Adventures in Wonderland_." she said proudly.

"_Alice in Wonderland_…" Gale muttered to himself. "Isn't that the book where she falls into a rabbit hole and ends up in a different world?"

Sierra nodded. "Yep! And she meets a white rabbit in a waistcoat, a Mad Hatter, and a Red Queen!"

Gale chuckled. "That's right. I remember now. I read that book once for school. It freaked me out a bit."

"Really?" Sierra asked surprised. "I love this book! This is my third time reading it!"

He shook his head. "You're braver than me. I read it once and couldn't wait to get rid of it. How'd you get started reading it, anyway?"

She paused before answering. "I may or may not have stolen it from Grandpa Haymitch's book stash."

Gale raised an eyebrow. "_Grandpa_ Haymitch?"

"That's just Haymitch to you, kid." he heard a familiar gruff voice say. Gale turned around to see Haymitch leaning on the wall with a smirk on his face.

"Grampa!" said a small voice as Jace ran over to Haymitch to be picked up. Haymitch's smirk grew into a smile as he picked up little Jace and tickled him. After giving him a quick kiss on the side of his head, Haymitch put Jace down and walked towards Gale. Gale stood up as he put his hand out expecting a handshake but was surprised when Haymitch pulled him into a hug. Gale and Haymitch never really became friends during their time together in 13 but they respected each other and got along well enough that neither ever felt extremely uncomfortable around each other. So when Haymitch hugged him, he couldn't help but return the gesture because it had been so long since everything had happened that it just felt natural.

Haymitch pulled back and examined Gale. "You look good." he said.

"I feel good." he admitted. "You look well, yourself."

Haymitch smiled. "I am. So what brings you back to 12?"

"Just thought I'd come by to see how things were. I haven't been back since I came here with Katniss during the war so I wanted to see my old home in it's new glory."

Before Haymitch could respond, he was interrupted by Sierra. "You knew mom?" she asked.

Gale looked at her and smiled as he sat back down with Haymitch sitting in the chair across from him. "Yeah." Gale said. "We were best friends for a long time."

"Then how come you haven't come to see her before now?"

Gale hesitated and glanced at Haymitch who gave him a warning look with his eyes. Gale wasn't sure how much Katniss' kids knew about the Hunger Games and the events afterwards so he decided to play it safe.

"We just grew apart. Your parents fell in love and I had bigger plans for myself so I moved out to District 2. We never really stayed in contact after that. We just got busy with our own lives."

Sierra nodded. "Were you and dad very close?"

Gale looked back at Haymitch again for help but this time help came in a different form. "Sierra, dinner's ready. Why don't you take your brother and go wash your hands?" Peeta said.

Gale let out a sigh of relief as Sierra stood up and led her brother down the hall. Haymitch stood up and patted Gale on the back as they walked towards Peeta.

"She wasn't too nosy was she? She can be very curious without quite realizing her boundaries." Peeta asked concerned.

Gale shook his head. "Not at all. She seems like a sweet kid."

Peeta smiled in thanks, then walked into the kitchen with Gale and Haymitch following behind. Dinner went much smoother than Gale had anticipated. They shared a few laughs and memories as Sierra tried to keep up with the conversation but soon getting bored and decided to focus her attention on her brother. After dinner, Haymitch and Gale helped Peeta clean the kitchen while the kids went back to the living room. When the three were done, they sat back at the dining table with some drinks in hand. While Gale and Peeta were drinking something strong, Haymitch stuck with water. When Gale raised his eyebrow at him, Haymitch only shrugged.

"I don't drink in front of the kids." he said nonchalantly. "Wouldn't want to set a bad example."

Gale chuckled and nodded. "Fair enough."

Just then Sierra came into the dining room. "Dad, where's Jace's teddy bear? He's getting cranky."

Peeta thought for a moment. "Check his playroom. If it's not there, then it's in my room."

Sierra nodded and walked off down towards the hall. As she disappeared, Gale was reminded by her questions when he first arrived.

"Peeta," he said before he could stop himself, "if I may ask, how much do your kids know about… everything?"

Peeta sighed. "Not much. She knows that Katniss and I went through something terrible when we were younger. She's heard Katniss screaming in the middle of the night from her nightmares and, unfortunately, she's seen me have a couple of… episodes. She knows we're okay but she also knows that we'll never be fully recovered from everything that happened. We decided we'd tell her about the Games and the war when she was older. For now, all she knows is both of us were sick, and now we're better for the most part."

Gale nodded as Haymitch patted Peeta on the shoulder. Peeta smiled as Haymitch changed the subject to Peeta's bakery saving the trio from an awkward silence. As Haymitch and Peeta continued to chat, Gale decided he needed to get something off his chest before it was too late. When there was a moment between the three men, he took it as his chance.

"Peeta, I want to thank you." he said.

Peeta and Haymitch looked surprised. "W-why?" Peeta asked.

"For saving Katniss. You brought her back to life after the war and helped her put back the broken pieces. You healed her. You understand her better than I ever could and she always smiled brighter when she was with you… or at least whenever she smiled." Haymitch snorted as Gale assumed he was thinking of how difficult it was to get Katniss to smile before the Games in order to get sponsors. "You saved each other." Gale continued. "I know that if it wasn't for you, she would've given up a long time ago. You gave her the courage she needed to continue even when all else seemed lost. You saved her more times than I can count and you showed her the light within the darkness. So thank you."

Peeta studied Gale with an expression mixed between sympathy and perplexion. "You still love her. Real or not real?" he asked.

Gale thought before answering. "Real. But not in the way you do. I love her like a sister and a best friend. Nothing more; not anymore."

"Did you ever truly love her? Like I do?" he asked.

Gale thought once more. "I think I did. But she pushed me away and I didn't have the heart to fight back."

Peeta smiled and chuckled. "She tends to do that to people."

Gale smirked. "No kidding." He reached his hand out to Peeta. "I'm sorry we couldn't get along before this. Can we start over? As friends this time?"

Peeta smiled and shook Gale's hand. "Friends."

"Is the sentiment over yet?" Haymitch asked. "I'm too sober for this!" Gale and Peeta laughed as all three put their glasses together for a cheers.

Just then, they heard the front door open. "Hello!" a sing-song voice said.

"MOMMY!" Sierra and Jace said as they ran towards the foyer. Gale froze in his seat. _What is she doing home early?!_ he thought as he heard her voice. It had been so long since he had heard it that he almost forgot what it sounded like. He knew it would be difficult when he saw her again but he didn't imagine that he would be frozen in his spot when that moment came.

He looked to Peeta wide-eyed, asking for help. Peeta nodded and patted his shoulder as he walked towards the front door. "I'll talk to her." he said. As he entered the foyer, the only voices heard were those of the children. As Gale waited for what happened next - being screamed at, kicked out, or killed on the spot - he fiddled with his hands. Then he heard footsteps walking towards the dining room. He could see Haymitch's expression change from concerned for him to a small smile he assumed was either for the children or for the woman he hadn't seen in years.

"Gale." he heard her say.

Letting go of the breath he had been holding, he stood up and turned around to face his old best friend.

"Hey Catnip."


	3. Part Three

_**A/N: Ha ha! Yay, I got Part Three done! Like I said in Part Two, I probably won't be able to post this tomorrow so I decided I'd give you guys a gift and give you the last part of this story! I hope you guys like it! Thanks to all those who have favorited and followed the story so far! Ya'll are awesome. So without further adieu, here's the final segment to Old Friends in a New World.**_

_**Tallyho!**_

**Part Three:**

Katniss and Gale were sitting in the dining room in silence. Haymitch was in the living room with Sierra helping her with a puzzle while Peeta was upstairs trying to put Jace to sleep. Gale was struggling to look Katniss in the eye; all of the guilt he carried for what happened to Prim came flooding back to him as soon as he saw her and he couldn't bear to face her out of fear that he would break down. He was relieved, however, that she wasn't glaring at him. If anything, she seemed curious about her old friend. Finally, she broke the silence.

"You look older." she said.

Gale snorted. "That tends to happen over twenty years."

Katniss smirked. "You look good, though."

He smiled. "Thanks. You too."

The two were silent again. "So… what are you doing home early? Peeta said you wouldn't be back until Sunday."

She shrugged. "I missed my family. I like 4 and I love my mom but I wanted to come home. So I did."

Gale chuckled. "You preferred the coal dust to the sea air?"

"Always." she said as she gave him a small smile as she looked out into the living room towards her daughter. Sierra smiled and waved at her mom before going back to the puzzle with Haymitch. Gale smiled at Katniss who seemed full of love for her little girl.

"Your daughter looks just like you." he said.

She nodded. "She has Peeta's eyes though."

"Yes, but your son has yours."

She nodded again. "They got the best of both of us, I guess."

It was silent between them again before Gale broke the silence.

"Katniss, I am so sorry for what happened to Prim." he said, before he could stop himself. "I still don't know if it was one of my bombs that killed her but I feel responsible nonetheless. I will never forgive myself for the pain I put you and your mother through after she died. I loved her like a sister but I was blindsided by the war and she ended up in danger because of me. I'm so sorry."

Gale put his head in his hands as he choked back a sob. As he tried to keep himself composed, he felt a soft hand grab one of his as another tilted his chin up so he could face her.

"Gale," she said softly, "Thank you for your apology. I appreciate it. But I forgave you years ago."

Gale looked at her confused. "W-what? When? Why didn't you ever call me?"

"I tried so many times, Gale. Believe me, I did. But every time I picked up the phone, I just kept imagining that you would hang up on me or that we would just start arguing and not get anywhere. Eventually, I just lost my nerve and hoped that you would one day forgive yourself as I had forgiven you."

Gale wanted to be angry but he was so relieved that Katniss had forgiven him, that he didn't care. He gave her a weak smile which she returned. "What caused you to forgive me?" he asked.

Katniss looked back at her daughter and smiled. "Sierra. When she was born, I thought about how happy Prim would've been to be an aunt. As she got older, I began to see so much of Prim in her that I realized that even if Prim wasn't here with me anymore, I had someone who reminded me of her but was her own person as well." She was beginning to tear up. "I miss my sister but I love my little girl. She's everything Prim could've been and more. She makes me stronger. All of them do."

Gale squeezed her hand as she wiped her tears away. Katniss took a deep breath as she released her hand from Gale's to run her fingers through her hair. "So what are you doing back in 12?" she asked.

Gale sighed. "I wanted to stop by and see how things were these days. I missed my old home. And I secretly hoping to see you to maybe patch things up."

She nodded but he could tell that she knew there was more to his story. "Why now? It's been years, Gale. Why not come earlier? What's going on now that made you want to come back?"

He hesitated before answering. "I met someone."

Katniss looked surprised but a smile quickly grew on her face. "Really? What's her name?"

Gale smiled as he thought of his green-eyed sweetheart back in 2. "Her name's Rebecca. She's a teacher at one of the schools in 2. We met a couple years ago through mutual friends…" he hesitated before continuing. "W-we're getting married next June."

Katniss' smile faded as she looked puzzled. "Gale Hawthorne is getting married. Never thought I'd hear that sentence come out of my mouth."

"Well I never thought I'd hear the words 'Katniss Everdeen' and 'mother' in the same sentence either." he retorted.

Katniss snorted. "Touche."

Gale smiled. "Anyway, part of the reason why I came back down was I was hoping that you and your family would come up for the wedding. Haymitch is invited too, of course. But I'd really love for Rebecca to meet you. I think you'd like her; she's just as stubborn as you are. So what do you say? Wanna see your _old_ best friend get married?"

Katniss smiled and chuckled. "I'd love to meet her. And I would love to be there for you. We all would. We'll be there."

He gave her a thankful smile. "Thanks, Catnip." He looked at the clock on the wall. "I should go." he said as he stood up with Katniss following. "My train leaves early tomorrow."

Katniss nodded as she walked him to the door. As Gale said goodbye to Sierra and Haymitch, Peeta came out of the kitchen with a small basket full of different types of breads. "For the ride home." he said smiling.

Gale smiled and thanked him heartily. As Katniss walked him out of the house, she stopped him on the porch steps and gave him a hug. Gale couldn't help but sigh in relief as he held his best friend, thankful that they had patched everything up.

"Don't be a stranger, okay?" Katniss said as they pulled out of the hug. "Stay in touch."

"You too." he said smiling. "See you in June?"

"See you in June." she said as she walked back into her house.

As Gale went back to the house he was staying at, he couldn't help but smile the entire way. His trip had gone way better than planned. He patched things up with Katniss, repaired his strained relationship with Peeta and even met their wonderful family. Gale felt like for the first time in over twenty years he could breathe freely. He took a deep breath and laughed as he enjoyed this new feeling of freedom. As his life would be changing in the best way soon, he was glad that he had some old friends to help him stay sane through it all. Thank God for old friends in a new world.

**The End.**


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